Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-05-06
WESTERN LIFE,
4 Sketch of a True Incident.
BY AID II. GIBSON.

80
"By the powers! he's got ter git from
these ere diggin's, boys" and Big Dan, a
burly miner Of Jim Ned Gulch brought his
horny fist down with tremendous force
upon the rude pine table in tho Sleeping
Tiger, q barge, two-roomcd building that
served Us saloon and gambling rendezvous
for the motley. masculine part Of the pop
ulation OF the Gulch.
A variegated crowd of rough men, old,
young. and middle-agcd. such MS are to he
met with in a mining camp of the West,
were gathered in the Sleeping Tiger.
These men had been discussing the case of
Philip Rhodes. who had appeared in Jim
Ned Gulch four weeks before. No one
seemed to Know much about Rhodes, more
than he had come from Denver and
brought with him his daughter, a lovely
girl of seventeen. lie occupied a deserted
cabin enabowered in cedars on the side of
q mountain, q half mile down the wild
gulch. OF the mans private life, the
miuers had a very. limited degree of
knowledge; but. somehow, il became cur
rently reported that the beautiful daughter
had the utmost affection for her parent,
gambler though he was.
Ishodes always dressed elegantly, and
with q liberal display of iewelry. He was
handsome. and his speech and deport-
ment betrayed no stinted amount of former
culture.
in the four weeks that the polished gam
bier had mingled with the rude Jim Ned
ders over the gaming table of the Sleep
ing Tiger, he had literally raked in the
gold of those honest but rough miners.
Tho miners had distrusted Rhodes from
the first. but having nothing but their own
suspicious to 60 on, they made no public
charge against him.
At length, some who had lost heavily
while playing with the elegant Denverite,
went to Big Dan and made complaint.
Big Dan was the Oldest miner in Jim Ned
Gulch, kind-hcarted if rough, ind always
the friend of the do%wntrodden. His skill
at cards. his keenness at ferreting out any
dishonesty connected herewith, were pro-
verbal. So Big Dan had challenged
Rhodes to play a game, to which he had
readily acceded. The result, as may be
imagined, was that the miner had detected
Rhodes in cheating all through the game.
Big Dan took no pains to conceal from the
Denver gambler that his tricks we're no
longer secrets. but clearly discovered.
Rhodes face had turned deathly pale at
Big Dams accusation, but without return
ing a single word, still displaying consid-
erable excitement, the guilty man left the
saloon and went Immediately to his noun
ain cabin.
In a miners blunt, straightforward FASH
ion, Big Dan had made his discovery
known, end had convened "the boys of
Jim Ned" at the Sleeping Tiger the next
afternoon to discuss the fate of the cheat
ing gambler.
"He's got to vamoose Jim Ned Gulch,
boys" pursued Big Dan.
"Let The DANCED cuss swing!!" yelled one
sa%nguinary miner who had been a prey to
ihe dishonesty Of the genteel Rhodes.
Yes; give the damned scamp q necktie
party on the lone elm down Jim Ned"
urged another loser.
"Silencet" roared the stentorian voice of
Big Dan, glazing upon the crowd of eager,
excited. hard faces before him; and his
powerfully magnetic dark eyes had soon
restored the subdued excitement of a few
moments before.
Taking advantage of the general calm,
Big Dan mounted on q rustic oak bench
and addressed the convention as follows:
"Fellor Jim Nedders. hear me. Don't
let nc hear a blamed one Of We mention
the necktie biz agin. Cause why? Thar's
the purity gal what's got no mother an
must be respected. Swingin' her dad id
kill her. He's none too good fur crows
meat, Ihnow: but she's got ter hav her
feeiin's spared all we kin. The 'cheatin'
cuss has jes got ter git up an git, that's
all: Blu we mustn't do nuthin' to make a
single yailer har of her purity little head
suffer, boys. Let him keep the gold;
maybe itIl help the gal out some when
they git in a pinch. But he can't stay
the gulch an pick tho marrer outen
my pocket-book, nor my Teller Jim
Nedders nary day longer. 1 hev spake,"
and Big Dan removed his corpulent person
from the bench. by descending to o level
with his companions.